Therapeutic Potential Of Cannabinoids In Alzheimer’s Disease

Cannabinoids are found in the marijuana plant (cannabis sativa) and are said to be effective in pain management from pain symptoms such as multiple sclerosis and nausea and vomiting. A cannabinoid is one of a great collection of complex chemical compounds that naturally occur in the body and operates on major cannabinoid receptors in cells that mediates neurotransmitter release in the brain. Cannabinoids for these receptors include the endocannabinoid system, the phytocannabinoids in cannabis and some other plants, and synthetic cannabinoids.

The main endogenous cannabinoid is the phytocannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive chemical in cannabis. Cannabidiol (CBD) is another main constituent of the plant and produces a non-psychotic effect. Cannabinoids have a therapeutic potential no doubt. However, they are yet to be studied in depth to treat a wide range of human pathologies. In this paper, cannabinoids will be reviewed so that they could be potentially made into novel therapeutics for diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease.

Cannabinoids Have An Anti Inflammatory Potential

Dementia now impacts over 35 million people on this earth. The most standard type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Nowadays, healing agents for AD do not prevent or reverse the development of the disorder and they are side kicked by adverse events. The primary constituents of AD syndrome, healing agent options now ready, the endocannabinoid network and its ability to work in general and its job in AD syndrome in detail will be seen. A specific eye will be on the analgesic plausibility of the plant cannabinoid cannabidiol. Based on the complicated pathology of AD a multipurpose agent method citing a mixture of pathological AD signs looks worthy.

Specifically, cannabinoids display anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and antioxidant abilities and have immunosuppressive impacts. Thus, the cannabinoid network should be the main site for AD treatment. The cannabinoid receptor 2 looks to be a likely player but its job in AD has to be looked into with a cautious eye. More so, the plant cannabinoid cannabidiol is of selective interest as it does not have the psychoactive and cognition-impairing abilities of other cannabinoids. Overall, further studies should look at reviewing the impacts of manipulations to the endocannabinoid network in established animal models for AD, mixed with early-phase experiments in humans.

Endocannabinoid System Is A Target For Therapeutic Cannabinoids

Overall, the surfacing data indicates the endocannabinoid network as a plausible target for immune short and/or cognitive intervention in AD. An arsenal of available chemicals controlling the endocannabinoid network at numerous levels and their success in animal experiments indicate the possibility for human drug advancement. However, more comprehensive studies using well-established animal experiments for AD thereby including transgenic and knockout experiments are required.

Being specific, CBD’s analgesic potential for AD pathology has to be described in much more detail applying in vivo methods. More so mixing together AD experiments with genetic models ready for cannabinoid researchers (e.g., CB1 and CB2 knockout mice) will better the public’s knowledge of the job of specific cannabinoid receptors for the favourable impacts of cannabinoid alteration in AD.

Registered with the British Psychological Society, breaking the taboo on mental health issues is one of the driving forces in Jonathan's life. His background in biomedicine gives him additional understanding of the factors that work together to influence the human condition.